Without much thought, I picked up a book, “Miracles of ‘Thank You’ That Pleases Daichi” in a book store and read it through that night. The author, Mr. Murakami quit his job in 1997 and started farming by Toya-ko Lake in Hokkaido. His son, Daichi passed away at the age of four. Mr. Murakami started to come up with new farming techniques as if he were guided by the tragedy of his son’s death. Consequently, Mr. Murakami determined to become helpful to others and that encouraged him to reach a new farming technique that does not use agricultural chemicals or artificial fertilizers.
The new farming technique is to say “Thank You” to everyone and everything around him at all times, from morning till night. Mr. Murakami never failed to say “Thank You” to vegetables he harvests, farm machine and equipment he uses and his family member who farms together. Ever since he read in some articles that saying “Thank you” for 360,000 times can make miracles happen, he made up his mind to carry this through. In fact, he had been depressed for 5 years until he came up with the “Thank You” farming technique. He did not say “Thank You” at all, not even once.
As he started to say “Thank You” out loud, his life started to turn around 180 degrees as well. The more he said “Thank You” to his family and also to his tractor day after day, the more remarkable the miracles have become. One day, his lettuce became quite a topic in a supermarket that it does not get rotten like others. People wanted to know the secrete tricks, which were hard to be understood by the local agricultural cooperative association. Mr. Murakami repeatedly said “Thank You,” that was all; “Thank You” to the earth, microorganism and even to worms or often-called vermin because they eat the harvests.
What makes Mr. Murakami appraisable is that he is grateful for a putrefactive bacteria that is usually an enemy to farmers because it causes weeds or crops to decompose. He considered that increase of putrefactive bacteria is a message that something is lacking. He also carefully examine a piece of weed for its ecology to understand. This is incredible. Weeds are typically considered harmful to vegetables and wiped out by chemicals. This is nothing unusual measure against weeds among farmers or anyone related to farming throughout the world.
It is amazing that he managed to get an insight that weeds are a lump of natural healing power. They grow in the very spot where they need to compensate the soil for insufficient nutrients. For example, Mr. Murakami grows cabbage in one corner of the field and potatoes right next to it. Cabbage absorbs calcium from the soil completely. After the harvest with the soil lacking of calcium, plants such as fat hen or pigweed start to come out. You may be surprise to know those weeds synthesize calcium. Instead of pulling out to dispose, if you keep those weeds, they will naturally make up for the lost calcium.
Potatoes, on the other hand, do not absorb much soil nutrients so the harvested soil is left with excess nutrition. In such soil conditions, the gramineous plant like millet grow and take up the excess nutrition that left behind. Mr. Murakami discovered that the earth improves its soil conditions by itself.
His book is full of the true essence of nature that has never been addressed. I highly recommend to read this wonderful book. I think we’ve come to a point we should be aware that there are no such thing to call enemy in the nature.